How to Draw a Unicorn

Unicorns are mythical, magical horses with spiral horns in the center of their heads. While there is no fossil evidence of such a creature, it has been depicted in the artwork of civilizations across Europe and Asia since antiquity. In fact, in ancient Greece, the unicorn featured not in their mythology, but in their encyclopedias of natural history.

It is theorized that the idea of the unicorn may have come about when the spiral shaped tusks of a whale called the narwhal were discovered on the seashore. In medieval Europe, narwhal tusks were often sold as unicorn horns, thought to posses the power to cleanse poisoned water and heal illnesses.

Modern popular culture has heartily adopted the unicorn, especially in children's cartoons. Popular renditions of this legendary animal include The Last Unicorn (1982), The Chronicles of Narnia (2005), and the various retellings of the My Little Pony series.

Would you like to draw your very own unicorn? All you will need is a piece of paper, a pencil, and this easy, step-by-step drawing tutorial. Optionally, you may want to have an eraser handy to correct mistakes and remove guide lines.

In each step of this drawing guide, you will either add new lines to your drawing - highlighted in blue in the illustrations - or erase lines made previously. If you have paints, markers, crayons, or colored pencils, you can shade your finished picture.

Watch 'How to Draw a Unicorn' Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Unicorn

Next, draw a curved line passing through the circle. Draw a short, curved line at its tip. This forms the unicorn's snout.

Draw another curved line passing through the circle, meeting the line from the previous step. This outlines the unicorn's lower jaw.

Below the head, draw a large oval. This will become the unicorn's body.

Connect the head to the body by drawing a curved line. Extend a short, curved line from the other end of the body.

Draw the ear by extending three curved lines upward from the head, allowing them to meet in a rounded point. Within the ear, draw a zigzag line to indicate fur.

Erase the guide lines left by the circle and the oval.

Next, draw the legs. Each leg will consist of two long, curved lines, joined at the end by a shorter curved line. Notice how the curve of the lines outlines the shape of the hoof, curving slightly inwards above the base of the leg.

Erase the guide lines from the legs.

Draw a curved line across the bottom of each leg to indicate the hoof. Draw a small triangle within each hoof to indicate the split in the hoof.

Draw the mane using several long, curved lines, allowing the lines to meet in sharp points.

To draw the horn, begin by extending a straight line from the head. Then, use a series of connected, curved lines to form the horn's spiral pattern.

Draw long, curved lines down the length of the mane.

To form the wings, extend two long, curved lines from the back of the neck.

Use a series of connected, "U" shaped lines to form the feather pattern on the bottom side of the wings.

Draw more connected, "U" shaped lines to add feathery detail to the wing.

Draw the tail using two long, curved lines that meet in a point.

Draw several curved lines within the tail to give the detail of hair.

Draw a small oval on the snout to form the nostril, and a larger circle for the eye. Within the eye, draw a circle inside a circle and shade between them. Draw several short, curved lines above the eye to indicate eyelashes.

Color the unicorn however you like. Since unicorns are imaginary animals, they can be any color of the rainbow.

See, that was pretty easy. If you'd like to find more easy drawing guides, check out my website or social media pages:

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